Your search found 6 records
1 Clarke, N.; Bizimana, J.-C.; Dile, Y.; Worqlul, A.; Osorio, J.; Herbst, B.; Richardson, J. W.; Srinivasan, R.; Gerik, T. J.; Williams, J.; Jones, C. A.; Jeong, J. 2017. Evaluation of new farming technologies in Ethiopia using the Integrated Decision Support System (IDSS). Agricultural Water Management, 180(Part B):267-279. (Special issue: Agricultural Water and Nonpoint Source Pollution Management at a Watershed Scale Part II Overseen by: Dr. Brent Clothier). [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2016.07.023]
Farming systems ; Decision support systems ; Technological changes ; Evaluation ; Water management ; Small scale systems ; Models ; Nutrition ; Energy consumption ; Cropping systems ; Farm income ; Socioeconomic environment ; Watersheds ; Environmental sustainability ; Villages / Ethiopia / Amhara Region / Fogera Woreda / Weg-Arba Amba Kebele / Shena Kebele / Lake Tana
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H047957)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377416302694/pdfft?md5=7548f347c9ff8e0db60dca03902b7abe&pid=1-s2.0-S0378377416302694-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H047957.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H047957.pdf
(3.19 MB) (3.19 MB)
This study investigates multi-dimensional impacts of adopting new technology in agriculture at the farm/village and watershed scale in sub-Saharan Africa using the Integrated Decision Support System (IDSS). Application of IDSS as an integrated modeling tool helps solve complex issues in agricultural systems by simultaneously assessing production, environmental, economic, and nutritional consequences of adopting agricultural technologies for sustainable increases in food production and use of scarce natural resources. The IDSS approach was applied to the Amhara region of Ethiopia, where the scarcity of resources and agro-environmental consequences are critical to agricultural productivity of small farm, to analyze the impacts of alternative agricultural technology interventions. Results show significant improvements in family income and nutrition, achieved through the adoption of irrigation technologies, proper use of fertilizer, and improved seed varieties while preserving environmental indicators in terms of soil erosion and sediment loadings. These pilot studies demonstrate the usefulness of the IDSS approach as a tool that can be used to predict and evaluate the economic and environmental consequences of adopting new agricultural technologies that aim to improve the livelihoods of subsistence farmers.
2 Balana, Bedru B.; Bizimana, J.-C.; Richardson, J. W.; Lefore, Nicole; Adimassu, Zenebe; Herbst, B. K. 2020. Economic and food security effects of small-scale irrigation technologies in northern Ghana. Water Resources and Economics, 29:100141. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wre.2019.03.001]
Household food security ; Small scale systems ; Irrigation systems ; Economic situation ; Farm income ; Smallholders ; Nutrition ; Crop production ; Crop yield ; Seasonal cropping ; Agricultural production ; Water management ; Water availability ; Profit ; Pumps ; Climate change ; Feasibility studies ; Household consumption ; Food consumption / Ghana
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049159)
(2.64 MB)
Small-scale irrigation (SSI) technologies can be useful not only to increase crop productivity and income but also as a viable adaptation practice to climate variability. A farm simulation model (FARMSIM) and data from selected SSI technologies piloted in northern Ghana under the ‘Feed the Future-Innovation Lab for Small Scale Irrigation’ (ILSSI) project were used to assess the economic feasibility of the SSI technologies and their potential to improve income and nutrition of smallholder farm households. Three dry season irrigated crops (onion, corchorus, amaranthus) grown under three agricultural water management regimes were analysed. Results show that adoption of the SSI technologies could increase the net farm profit by 154%–608% against the baseline depending on the ‘crop type - SSI technology’ combination. Nutrition levels also improved significantly as a result of the improvements in crop yields due to irrigation and use of complementary inputs. However, the results further reveal that the options that utilize capital-intensive SSI technologies such as solar-powered water pumps to grow high value cash crops are constrained by the high investment cost. Currently, farmers tend to choose low-cost SSI technologies such as a traditional watering-cans, which generate low economic returns. Improving access to credit or alternative financing schemes could mitigate the capital constraints and enable smallholders to gain more benefits from participating in market-oriented high-value irrigated production.
3 Xie, H.; You, L.; Dile, Y. T.; Worqlul, A. W.; Bizimana, J.- C.; Srinivasan, R.; Richardson, J. W.; Thomas, G.; Neville, C. 2021. Mapping development potential of dry-season small-scale irrigation in Sub-Saharan African countries under joint biophysical and economic constraints - an agent-based modeling approach with an application to Ethiopia. Agricultural Systems, 186:102987. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2020.102987]
Irrigation systems ; Small scale systems ; Dry season ; Agricultural development ; Water availability ; Irrigation water ; Water scarcity ; Environmental factors ; Economic aspects ; Crop yield ; Technology ; Geographical information systems ; Models ; Uncertainty / Africa South of Sahara / Ethiopia
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050097)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X20308489/pdfft?md5=ccefdf32598d6ea8bc5b61f1d012b437&pid=1-s2.0-S0308521X20308489-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050097.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050097.pdf
(4.40 MB) (4.40 MB)
Sub-Saharan Africa has long been beset with food insecurity. Investment in small-scale irrigation may provide a solution to address the challenge by extending crop production into the dry season. We present an agent-based modeling system to assess the potential of dry-season small-irrigation development in Sub-Saharan Africa with an application to Ethiopia. We identify significant potential for investing in dry-season small-scale irrigation in Ethiopia and map geographic domains with highest investment opportunities.
4 Tesfaye, M. Z.; Balana, B. B.; Bizimana, J.-C.. 2021. Assessment of smallholder farmers’ demand for and adoption constraints to small-scale irrigation technologies: evidence from Ethiopia. Agricultural Water Management, 250:106855. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2021.106855]
Irrigation water ; Water lifting ; Technology ; Adoption ; Constraints ; Small scale systems ; Smallholders ; Farmers ; Willingness to pay ; Assessment ; Households ; Livelihoods ; Models / Ethiopia / Adami-Tulu / Dangla / Bahir-Dar Zuria / Lemo
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050297)
(1.60 MB)
Increasing agricultural productivity through irrigation technologies is recognized as an effective way to improve smallholders’ livelihoods and food security in developing countries. However, most smallholder farmers do not have access to irrigation technologies. Using a double-bounded contingent valuation survey data from smallholders in Ethiopia and probit and bivariate probit models, this paper analyzes smallholder farmers’ demand for agricultural water lifting technologies (WLTs) and the factors affecting the demand for these technologies. Assessment of farmers’ preferences among three water lifting technologies available in local markets (motorized pump, rope and washer and pulley) show that farmers prefer motorized pumps to pulley or rope and washer technologies. Use of motorized pumps is more efficient and save labour than pulley or rope and washer technologies. However, results show that smallholders are constrained by inadequate access to financing options to adopt more efficient and labour-saving water lifting technology and hence operate below the production possibility frontier. Enhanced access to finance could help ease this constraint and allow smallholders to acquire more efficient irrigation technologies, enhance adoption and improve productivity. With a growing population pressure and land fragmentation in rural Ethiopia, the livelihoods of smallholders depend mainly on the meagre land endowment they possess. Increasing the productivity of land using yield enhancing technologies, particularly multiple cropping per year via small-scale irrigation is key to improve their livelihoods. Targeted interventions are thus warranted to mitigate the key adoption constraints such as improving access to credit and technical know-how of smallholders.
5 Worqlul, A. W.; Dile, Y. T.; Schmitter, Petra; Bezabih, M.; Adie, A.; Bizimana, J.-C.; Srinivasan, R.; Lefore, N.; Clarke, N. 2021. Constraints of small-scale irrigated fodder production and nutrition assessment for livestock feed, a case study in Ethiopia. Agricultural Water Management, 254:106973. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2021.106973]
Small scale farming ; Fodder ; Livestock feed ; Nutrition ; Assessment ; Irrigation ; Small scale systems ; Water use efficiency ; Fertilizer application ; Rain ; Runoff ; Groundwater ; Water stress ; Forage yield ; Pennisetum purpureum ; Lathyrus cicera ; Oats ; Farmers ; Watersheds / Africa South of Sahara / Ethiopia / Robit Watershed / Lemo Watershed
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050449)
(3.69 MB)
Livestock is an integral part of the agricultural system in sub-Saharan Africa, serving as a food source, income, fertilizer, and power for farming and transportation. However, the productivity of the livestock system has been hampered due to a lack of sufficient quantity and quality feed. This study evaluates the gaps and constraints of fodder and nutritional potential for livestock feed using small-scale irrigation (SSI). The study comprised of 30 randomly selected farmers from two different ecological zones in Ethiopia. Half of the farmers cultivated Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) in the Robit watershed in northern Ethiopia, and the other half cultivated mixed vetch (Lathyrus cicera) and oats (Avena sativa) in Lemo watershed in southern Ethiopia. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and Agricultural Policy Environmental eXtender (APEX) were applied in an integrated manner to assess the impacts of SSI at the watershed and field-scale levels, respectively. The watershed-scale analysis showed that there is a substantial amount of surface runoff and shallow groundwater recharge that could be used for dry season fodder production using irrigation. Field data calibrated APEX model indicated that Napier yield could be maximized with 550 mm of water in Robit watershed. While in the Lemo watershed, maximum vetch and oats yield may be achieved with 250 mm of water. The major constraints for Napier and oats production in the study sites were soil fertility, especially nitrogen and phosphorus, and vetch production was limited by high temperature. Fodder samples were collected at the time of harvest to evaluate feed quality. The nutritional analysis indicated that Napier grass has a higher dry matter and ash (mineral) content compared to oats and vetch. However, vetch has higher crude protein content (18%) compared to Napier (10%) and oats (6%). Overall the study indicated that cultivating vetch provided superior performance in terms of providing quality feed and environmental services.
6 Bizimana, J.-C.; Yalew, B. B.; Assefa, T. T.; Belay, S. A.; Degu, Y. M.; Mabhaudhi, Tafadzwanashe; Reyes, M. R.; Prasad, P. V. V.; Tilahun, Seifu A. 2023. Simulating potential impacts of solar MajiPump on the economy and nutrition of smallholder farmers in sub-humid Ethiopia. Water, 15(22):4003. [doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/w15224003]
Irrigation technology ; Solar powered irrigation systems ; Pumps ; Smallholders ; Farmers ; Economic aspects / Ethiopia
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052562)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/22/4003/pdf?version=1700221598
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052562.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052562.pdf
(4.21 MB) (4.21 MB)
Irrigation is widely considered a potential means to improve agricultural productivity, nutrition, and income, as farmers can carry out farming and production year-round. However, the feasibility of irrigation technologies is highly dependent on the long-term economic return farmers achieve. Solar-based irrigation could address the challenges of underinvestment in irrigation within Africa. Evidence on the economic viability of the adopted solar pumps such as MajiPump is very scant and focused on ex post evaluation. This study evaluated the income and nutritional feasibility of solar-powered irrigation using the MajiPump in sub-humid Ethiopian highlands using the farm simulation (FARMSIM) model and compared it with the manual pulley system. Results from the FARMSIM model show that farmers’ adoption of Maji solar pump technology to grow vegetables is economically feasible with financial support such as credit or loan for initial and capital investment to acquire the pump. The average profit under the solar MajiPump, drip irrigation, and conservation agriculture was 3.6 times higher than that of the baseline scenario. While the pulley technology provides the same amount of irrigation water to grow vegetables, its feasibility is limited due to high labor costs and time, estimated to be more than seven times the baseline. The simulation results show that the alternative scenarios’ nutrition level has improved relative to other scenarios and met the minimum daily average nutrition requirement level for proteins, iron, and vitamin A but fell short in fat, calcium, and calories. The results suggest that farmers who adopt improved small-scale irrigation technologies (solar MajiPump and drip system) have a higher potential to increase production and income from irrigated crops and improve their nutrition if part of the income generated is used to purchase supplemental food for their nutrition.
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